Here’s Your Last Minute, Austin-Themed Holiday Gift Guide

The situation: it’s December 21 and you have no idea what to get for a particular family member or friend. You’ve been mulling it over for a while to no effect, pondering as you creep down I-35 or Mopac in rush hour traffic, musing with yourself in the mirror as you brush your teeth. But now that you’ve discovered this article, all your troubles are over.

These last-minute gift items are certain to delight any Austinite in your life — even if they’re Scrooge-y:

STUFF THEY CAN WEAR

Every Austinite must own a “Keep Austin Weird” t-shirt. If you haven’t ever seen your pal wear one, it’s time to make that happen. You can buy the shirts at Austin Gift Company on South Lamar or Outhouse Designs on Judson. If you don’t want to go strictly traditional, be sure to check out Outhouse’s “Absolutely Austin” t-shirt collection for more unique designs featuring such things as the Congress bridge bats, Austin’s music obsession, and one of Austin.com’s personal favorites: the Willie Nelson shirt.

For cowboy-ish types, go for the western wear at Allen’s Boots on South Congress Ave. Boots, hats, belts — these rugged accessories and more are available at both the online and physical stores, along with classic button-downs and all manner of jeanery, but the company’s most notable product with respect to Austin-themed gifts are their Longhorn “Gameday” boots for both lads and ladies.

STUFF THEY CAN EAT & DRINK

Let’s not waste time, because you’re running out of it. You can never go wrong buying your loved one a gift card or promising him or her a dinner date to any of these classic Austin eateries and drinkeries:

STUFF THEY CAN JAM TO

As you know, there are about a zillion places to buy and hear music in Austin. Find out the names of some of the bands, singer/songwriters, and musicians that your friend enjoys to listen to and go on the hunt for new albums from those artists that he or she doesn’t have yet or search for similar-sounding artists that he or she will probably be into. Waterloo Records is one of the best places to discover new music in Austin — you can listen to virtually every track of every album in the store before you buy.

If none of these gift suggestions sound appealing, then we’re not sure what to tell you. Get ’em a goat for a village in Africa. Pledge to do their laundry for a month. Find them a pet rock. Write them a song. Buy them anything from Toy Joy or Monkey See Monkey Do and make them laugh. Bake them a dish of cheesecake brownies. Or you could always just give them a hug and a Christmas card and tell them that you love them!